Marc Chagall’s Ceiling for the Paris Opéra - 1st series of panels - Google Arts & Culture Opéra national de Paris In 1960, the Minister of Cultural Affairs André Malraux made what in those days was the bold as well as spectacular gesture of commissioning Marc Chagall to paint a new ceiling for the Opéra. True, there was a recent precedent, the rather unsuccessful ceiling painted for the Louvre’s Salle Henri II by George Braque in 1952. And in fact, Malraux would follow up the year after and commission André Masson to do a ceiling for the Théâtre de l’Odéon. Was this an attempt to smash open the orderly but closed world created by Charles Garnier? A media coup at a time when the media were taking over the world. An act of sacrilege? Chagall’s painting now covered the work of another artist, who, like all the pompier (as the nineteenth century academic painters were known), was out of favour.

(That said, he would not remain there for long: less than two decades later, Lenepveu’s design was given the honours of the new Musée d’Orsay.) The action was sacrilegious, above all, with regard to Garnier’s principle of harmony, a principle observed by all the artists working under him, and even, to a certain degree, by Carpeaux. But then of course Garnier was no longer there to safeguard the unity of his palace of dreams. Chagall’s ceiling did, without a doubt, make the Palais Garnier fashionable again. Just as, twenty years later, Buren’s columns put the spotlight on the Palais-Royal, which Parisians had totally forgotten, and were a great improvement on the car park that had dishonoured its courtyard for decades without anyone seeming to care. And just as, thirty years later, Pei’s pyramid made the Louvre an international talking point: not that the museum was lacking in claims to fame, but this relatively marginal architectural intrusion ensured that the “Grand Louvre” programme got plenty of global media coverage.

Whatever one may think of their artistic merits, there is no denying that these three “gestures” were highly successful in terms of communication. And that, it would seem, was Malraux’s main concern at the Opéra. Likewise, all three interventions brought an element of continuity as well as rupture. Pei’s pyramid certainly broke with the Renaissance and Napoleon III facades of the Louvre, but it echoes the obelisk on Place de la Concorde. Buren’s columns clearly continue the colonnade of the Galerie d’Orléans, even if they are truncated and striped; and Chagall’s ceiling, while it incontestably breaks with the harmony of the auditorium, is, in many respects, in profound continuity with Garnier’s work (Chagall was an attentive reader of “Le Nouvel Opéra”). First of all, with his sharp, fresh hues – his “admirable prismatic colours” (André Breton) – Chagall continues and completes the reintroduction of colour, which was so important to Garnier. Chagall’s own gift for colour is something he had discovered when he came to Paris: “In Russia everything is dark, brown, grey.

When I came to France, I was struck by the shimmering colours, the play of light, and I found what I had been blindly groping for, this refinement of matter and uninhibited colour.” In Paris, “things, nature, people were lit up by this ‘light-freedom’ and seemed to bathe in a coloured bath.” Moreover, this ceiling completes the Palais Garnier’s “pantheon” of illustrious composers throughout the ages. It thus adds some of the architect’s contemporaries, such as Wagner [1]and Berlioz[2] who were “over-looked” in his iconographic programme (Verdi was the only living composer to be represented by a statue at the inauguration in 1875). It also introduces some major composers from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including three from the relatively recent Russian school (unknown in France until Diaghilev’s time). What’s more, Chagall evokes these composers through an “Olympus” of characters from their operas. As readers will recall, “Olympus” was Garnier’s generic term for theatre ceilings.

Chagall was a lyric painter, and the correspondence, the sympathy linking his ceiling to Garnier’s building runs deeper that one might think. Chagall’s painting is, to borrow the word used by Guillaume Apollinaire when he first visited the artist’s studio at La Ruche in 1912, “super-natural” (this world would later be replaced by surrealist”), and so is Garnier’s enchanted palace. Chagall’s was a religious, even mystical spirit for whom love was the force that bound together and moved everything in the universe, whose creatures and objects were part of a total motion without top or bottom, gravity or resistance – perfect for painting an opera ceiling! Even more profoundly, Chagall was drawn to an ideal of total theatre. Already, in his home town of Vitebsk, during his brief spell as director of the Academy of Fine Arts, he scandalised local Communist leaders by getting all the local house painters to help him decorate the place with green cows and flying horses in the celebration of the first anniversary of the October Revolution.

And when he worked on the renovated Jewish State Theatre in Moscow, between 1919 and 1921, his vision embraced the whole of the auditorium, so that spectators were surrounded by panels whose designs echoes the sets and costumes on stage. Total theatre, just like Garnier. Like him, Marc Chagall dreamed of a theatre in which setting and action were one. Chagall refused to be paid for his ceiling. The State covered only the material costs of the work, which was executed between January and August 1964. The painter worked at the Musée des Gobelins, then at the workshop built by Gustav Eiffel at Meudon (it later became an aviation museum) and finally at Vence. Chagall ceiling was inaugurated on 23 September 1964. The ceiling consists of twelve canvas panels plus a round central panel totalling about two hundred and forty square metres and mounted on a plastic structure. The work is signed “Chagall Marc 1964” on the central and main panels.

CENTRAL PANEL The Palais Garnier Or Opera Garnier In Paris France Contact us But one of the most famous features of the Palais Ganier is the Grand Staircase that was constructed in various colours of marble and at the foot of the staircase are two bronze statues, but then if you look up you can see the four different sections of the painted ceiling. This double stairway of the Grand Staircase is an impressive 30 metres and leads to the foyers, the different levels of the auditorium and the Rotonde de l’Empereur in the west pavilion that is home to the library and Musee de l’Opera museum . Yet in fact, because the Empire fell and Napoleon died before the Palais Garnier was completed, the Rotonde de l’Empereur was never finished and you can still get to see the dressed blocks of stone as they were in the 1870s! Then you have the large and richly decorated foyers that provide the audience with areas to stroll around in during performance intervals and the vault of the Avant foyer is covered with delightful mosaics in rich colours on a gold background, plus there is a great view of the Grand Staircase.

Charles Garnier wanted the Grand Foyer to resemble the gallery of a classical chateau with its vast dimensions of 18m high, 54m long and 13m wide. And having been fully restored in 2004 with its mirrors and windows that accentuate the vast dimensions, along with the spectacular ceiling painted by the artist Paul Jacques-Aime Baudry, which portrays themes from the history of music, this space is awe inspiring with an aristocratic luxuriousness. There is also a copy of Charles Garnier's bust by the sculptor Carpeaux that stands in the centre of the foyer, near one of the windows, which looks down the Avenue de l'Opéra towards the Musee du Louvre museum. The Salon du Glacier is located at the end of the bar gallery with its light and airy rotunda adorned with a ceiling painting by the artist Georges Jules-Victor Clairin and there are tapestries illustrating different drinks such as tea, coffee and champagne, as well as fishing and hunting. Completed after the opening of the opera house, this room has a very distinct 1900s flavour.

The theatre itself or auditorium, is richly decorated in red and gold in the Italian-style horseshoe-shape, with over 1,900 red velvet seats, and is illuminated by the extremely large crystal chandelier that weighs in at an incredible 8 tonnes! And this hangs below the brightly coloured ceiling by the artist Marc Chagall, that was commissioned by the Minister for Cultural Affairs and only completed in 1964. The auditorium is an impressive size of 20m high, by 32m deep and 31m wide, yet the stage is even more impressive as it is a total of 60m high, that consists of a 45m fly tower and a 15m under-stage area. And as of 2011, there is now a very contemporary styled restaurant located at this incredible monument in Paris called the L’Opera , which has been constructed behind glass between the columns with damaging any of the original architecture.

Visiting the Palais Garnier Opera in Paris Of course, the Opera Garnier is still a fully functioning theatre for opera performances, but also for ballet, and other types of shows like those designed more for children and you can book tickets directly online at the official website. However, there are also tour companies in Paris that offer packages as well. There are also specific seats set aside for the physically handicapped in wheelchairs, but it is necessary to contact the public relations service at least two weeks prior to the performance you wish to book by telephone +33 (0) 1 40 01 18 50. One of the reasons is that you will have individual access via a special lift and get specially fitted front box office seats, so hence why you have to book before. Yet there are also certain productions that are accessible to hearing impaired through a special headset, that provides a real time description of the performance, although at present this is only available in French and you would need to contact the number above to find out more.

The tickets can vary in cost quite dramatically from only around €15 up to around €150 for a seat, all depending upon the performance and what type of seat you choose, but even if you do not want an evening out with this kind of entertainment in Paris, then you can still visit the Palais Garnier and admire its beauty.. Tours of the Palais Garnier Paris Opera House You can opt to visit the Palais Garnier on an unaccompanied tour, where you could stand and stare in awe at the Grand Staircase and the fabulous Grand Foyer, yet also get to see the auditorium. Not forgetting you can visit the Opera Museum, known as the Bibliotheque-Musee de L’Opera National de Paris, which is where you can learn more about the history of opera in Paris, see models of old stage sets, costumes, the history of the Palais Garnier Opera and much more. On normal days the visiting times are from 10am through to 5pm, but from mid July until the end of August, these are extended until 6pm.

However, there are some days when you will not be able to visit at all, such as on National French Holidays or when a special event has been organised. In addition to this, the visiting hours are only from 10am through to 1pm when there is a Matinee performance, and the last admission time is 45 minutes before closing, although we feel that this is not long enough to appreciate the architecture, the building, its history, etc. The normal price of an individual ticket is €9 as of 2012, however there is a reduced rate of €6 for any person under the age of 25 and it is free to children under the age of 10, to find out more you can telephone on +33 (0) 1 71 25 24 23. Also, we would like to point out that it is beneficial to keep your tour entrance ticket, as within one week of purchasing your ticket at the Palais Garnier, you will be able to get a reduced rate ticket to visit the Musee Gustave Moreau and the Musee d’Orsay , which are both fascinating museums in Paris .

You can also have a guided tour of the Opera National de Paris Opera Garnier either in French or English, and these tours last approximately 90 minutes and include a general visit of the theatre with a presentation on the history of the Palais Garnier, its architecture and the different activities held here. For either language, the guided tours are conducted on a Wednesday, Saturday and a Sunday at 11.30pm and again at 2.30pm for English and 3.30pm for French, yet during the school holidays and in the height of summer, these are conducted every day at 11.30am, but of course subject to availability. You can find out more information on guided visits and even make a reservation by telephoning on +33 (0) 1 42 46 92 04, however, for individuals that would like a guided visit, the ticket office located in the Palais Garnier hall opens at 10.15am on the day of a guided tour.

The normal cost of entry including the guided tour is €13.50 as of 2012, with a reduced rate for children over the age of 10 and students, and only €6.50 for children under the age of 10, but for groups, a reservation has to be made in advance. Access to the Palais Garnier Opera in Paris Situated in the 9th Arrondissement and located at the corner of Rue Scribe and the Rue Auber, the Opera Garnier is very easy to access via the public transport in Paris such as the RER on line A and the station Auber. If you are travelling around Paris via Metro then you would need the Opera stop on lines 3, 7 and 8 or by bus you would need the numbers 20 , 27, 29, 42 , 53 , 66 , 81 or 95 . Yet if you have your own vehicle, there is also a car park at the Place Vendome, but this is a little further away.

More information on Palais Garnier Tel: +33 (0) 1 40 01 17 89 Information: +33 (0) 1 71 25 24 23 Additional telephone numbers in the above information Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Palais Garnier or Opera Garnier in Paris The Palais Garnier is the thirteenth theatre to house the Paris Opera since King Louis XIV founded it in the late 1660s, and this sumptuous place was built on the orders of Napoleon III as part of the great Parisian reconstruction project carried out by Baron Haussmann and was named after the architect Charles Garnier. The Palais Garnier was inaugurated on 5th January 1875 after taking fifteen years to complete and is known today by different names such as the Opera National de Paris, the Palais Garnier and the basic Opera Garnier, but one of the main focuses now are ballet performances, as most of the operas are performed at the newer Paris Opera House of the Opera Bastille .

About the Palais Garnier Having been renovated in the year 2000, the main facade of the Opera Garnier is just as impressive to look at now, as it was back in the 19th century, with its original rich colours and golden statue-work. Marc Chagall - Ceiling of the Paris Opera House (1964). CollectCollect this now for later teri-71 Detail of the Palais Garnier ceiling painted by Marc Chagall - Opera National de Paris CollectCollect this now for later jd1 Opera House in Paris....Wonderful the Work of Chagall on the ceiling... CollectCollect this now for later Darío SP Ceiling by Marc Chagall. Opéra Garnier, Paris CollectCollect this now for later LADY_VIOLA Marc Chagall, 1964 CollectCollect this now for later teri-71 Chagall Ceiling, Opera Garnier CollectCollect this now for later bethany Lovers in the sky of Nice - Marc Chagall 1964 ♥ Reputation Line Inc. NY - Branding & Marketing.

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This is the thirteenth building to house the Paris Opera since it's founding in 1669 by Louis IV. The Opera has now relocated to L’Opera de la Bastille as of 1989 and the Garnier is used mostly for ballet. The new opera house has had some issues with appearance and acoustics but both “opera houses” are sold out for every performance. Exterior Palais Garnier, Paris The selection of the architect was the subject of an architectural design competition in 1861, a competition which was won by the architect Charles Garnier (1825–1898). Charles Garnier Palais Garnier, Paris Legend has it that the Emperor's wife, the Empress Eugénie, who was likely irritated that her own favored candidate, Viollet-le-Duc, had not been selected, asked the relatively unknown Garnier: “What is this?

It's not a style; it's neither Louis Quatorze, nor Louis Quinze, nor Louis Seize!” “Why Madame, it's Napoléon Trois” replied Garnier “and you're complaining!” Construction was interrupted after the fall of Napoleon III but completed when the preceding opera house, Salle Le Peletier, burned down in 1873. Andrew Ayers wrote that the judges of the competition in particular admired Garnier's design for “the clarity of his plan, which was a brilliant example of the beaux-arts design methods in which both he and they were thoroughly versed.” The Dance Palais Garnier, Paris Undoubtedly, the most well-known piece of sculpture associated with the Opéra is The Dance by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux seen above right. Garnier unveiled the facade sculptures in July, 1869 and The Dance caused an immediate public outcry. People accused the work of indecency and poor taste. The naturalism of the drawing and modeling made the girls look too much like ordinary people. Idealized figures were nude; natural figures were naked.

Linear Frieze Palais Garnier, Paris The linear frieze was redesigned per Napleon III, with alternating low- and high-relief decorative medallions bearing the gilded letters from the imperial monogram (“N” for Napoléon, “E” for Empereur). The custom-designed letters were not ready in time for the unveiling and were replaced with commercially available substitutes. After the fall of the empire in 1870, Garnier was relieved to be able to remove them from the medallions. Letters in Garnier's original design were finally installed during the restoration of the building in 2000 (but not guilded). The original name was “ACADEMIE IMPERIALE DE MUSIQUE”. When the emperor was deposed the Opera was renamed Théâtre National de l'Opéra, a name it kept until 1939. In spite of this, when it came time to change the name on the new opera house, only the first six letters of the word IMPERIALE were replaced, giving the now famous “ACADEMIE NATIONALE DE MUSIQUE”.

Bronze busts of many of the great composers are located between the columns of the theatre's front façade and depict from left to right: Rossini, Auber, Beethoven, Mozart, Spontini, Meyerbeer, and Halévy. Harmony and Poetry Palais Garnier, Paris Charles-Alphonse Guméry's gilded bronze sculptural groups Harmony and Poetry were installed in 1869. Sculpture Palais Garnier, Paris When you first enter by the visitors entrance, you are met by this unlikely tableaux. I don't know what the frogs are doing here but the ceiling and sculpture are gorgeous. This level was the entrance for the help, since this level does not have access to even orchestra seating, the attention of Garnier to even this level gives a taste of things to come on the upper levels. The interior of the Opéra is profusely adorned with sculpture, both decorative and free standing. There are over 75 portrait busts throughout the building and the decorative sculptures are almost innumerable. Grand Stairway Palais Garnier, Paris Polished Copper Lighting Palais Garnier, Paris You go up some stairs to the first floor and come upon the grand staircase.

As you go up the stairway, you come to the entrances to the auditorium of the Opera. The Grand Staircase is the compositional heart of the Opéra. All traffic is channeled through the various vestibules and hallways into the majestic stairwell. Theatergoers must ascend the staircase to enter the Auditorium, and Garnier designed the stairs and surrounding cage of pillars and balconies as a major architectural and decorative statement that would “contribute to the general beauty of the building”. On the bottom pedestal of the Grand Staircase railings are radiant, polished copper figures by Albert-Ernest-Carrier-Belleuse. They hold aloft lamps and are crowned with a wreath of lights. Portal of the Caryatids Palais Garnier, Paris Orchestra seating is one level up while box seats are up two levels. On the landing above and beyond Belleuse’s torchères is the Portal of the Caryatids by Jules Thomas. The exquisite figures, representing Tragedy and Comedy, are executed in six types of colored marble.

Grand Stairwell Ceiling Palais Garnier, Paris Above the grand stairway is a painted ceiling with a square oculus (picture courtesy of The Paris Opéra: Charles Garnier’s Opulent Architectural Masterpiece by Stephen Gjertson). This was done by the painter Isidore-Alexandre Pils depicting: The Triumph of Apollo, The Enchantment of Music Deploying its Charms, Minerva Fighting Brutality Watched by the Gods of Olympus and the rather self-serving The City of Paris Receiving the Plan of the New Opéra. Grand Chandelier Palais Garnier, Paris The 7-ton bronze and crystal chandelier was designed by Garnier. The use of a central chandelier aroused controversy, and it was criticized for obstructing views of the stage by patrons in the fourth level boxes. Originally the chandelier was raised up through the ceiling into the cupola over the auditorium for cleaning, but now it is lowered as seen above. The space in the cupola was used in the 1960s for opera rehearsals, and in the 1980s was remodeled into two floors of dance rehearsal space.

Chagall Ceiling Palais Garnier, Paris The ceiling area, which surrounds the chandelier, contains a new 1964 painting by Marc Chagall which was installed on a removable frame over the original and depicts scenes from operas by 14 composers – Moussorgsky, Mozart, Wagner, Berlioz, Rameau, Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Adam, Bizet, Verdi, Beethoven, and Gluck. Not everyone loves the painting, personally I have always loved Chagall and this touch reminds me of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. Opera Auditorium Palais Garnier, Paris Forward Boxes Palais Garnier, Paris The rest of the house is just as beautiful, with lots of gilded baroque balustrades. Look carefully to the right of the picture above and you can see the painted house curtain, imitating a draped curtain with gold braid and pompons. The Opéra’s Auditorium seats about 2,000 people.

Four tiers of balconies surround the ground floor, culminating in elaborate forward boxes to the left and right of the stage, with their sculptured caryatids by Gustave-Adolphe-Désiré Crauk and Alfred Édouard Lepère. Palais Garnier, Paris Here is another view with curtain down and the chandelier up. Avant Foyer Palais Garnier, Paris In the photo above, you can see an area just outside the Grand Foyer, the Avant Foyer, with beautiful mosaic ceilings. This and the Grand foyer were meant to be areas for socializing before the opera and at intermissions. Avant Foyer Ceiling Palais Garnier, Paris They are done in intricate mosaics performed by Venetian mosaicists. The pictures are famous couples from Greek mythology. Each story has been immortalized in different operas. Avant Foyer Ceiling Palais Garnier, Paris They are, from left to right, Artemus and Endymion, Orpheus and Eurydice, Aurora and Cephalus and Hermes and Herse.

As you can see above, they are presented on gilded mosaic backgrounds, I will try to do a post on the four famous Greek romances in the future. Wikipedia has an extensive list of operas based on Greco-Roman mythology, more popular in the 19th century than today but still an important theme. Avant Foyer Ceiling Inscription Palais Garnier, Paris The Avant Foyer reflects Garnier’s passionate interest in mosaic. An inscription in the ceiling (seen above) states: “Decorative mosaic has been applied for the first time in France for the ornamentation of this vault and the popularization of this art.” Avant Foyer Ceiling Palais Garnier, Paris He abandoned his initial idea to decorate the Opera Auditorium ceiling in mosaic as too costly, but he used mosaic here, on the flytower “ox-eye” and the ceiling of the Facade Loggia (outdoors). Grand Foyer Palais Garnier, Paris As you enter the doors of the Avant foyer, you are confronted by the Grand Foyer. Garnier intended the Grand Foyer, restored in 2004, to resemble the gallery of a classical chateau. The mirrors and windows accentuate it's vast dimensions.

The ceiling and small oval paintings above the doors, painted by Paul Baudry, portray themes from the history of music. I have been to Versailles and personally, this knocks the socks off of the “Hall of Mirrors”. Grand Foyer Ceiling Palais Garnier, Paris The Grand Foyer comprised the largest and most complex decorative program in the Opéra’s interior. Like the rest of the Opéra, it is Garnier’s personal synthesis of all past styles. The walls are alive with gleaming, gold ornamental sculpture and the flat ceiling contains a large, rectangular panel flanked by oval panels at each end. These are surrounded by a cove containing twenty irregularly shaped panels, nine on the sides and one on each end. On the walls beneath, above each of the ten doorways, are painted oval medallions personifying the music of various countries and ethnic groups. Atop each of the twenty columns between the ten doors, separating the medallions, are sculptured figures personifying The Qualities Required by Artists.

(picture courtesy of The Paris Opéra: Charles Garnier’s Opulent Architectural Masterpiece by Stephen Gjertson) Grand Foyer Palais Garnier, Paris The lyre, the dominant decorative element is found just about everywhere you look. In this picture you can see the mirrored “door/window” with the Lyre above and above that the ovals painted by Paul Baudry. The often overlooked medallions, seen above the “door” are delightful, beautifully designed ovals of nude genii against and azure sky. Grand Foyer Octagonal Salon Palais Garnier, Paris The two Octagonal Salons flank the Grand Foyer, extending and animating the effect of the larger room. Jules-Élie Delaunay decorated the east Octagonal Salon, shown above, “Apollo Receiving the Lyre”. Grand Foyer Octagonal Salon Palais Garnier, Paris The west end was done by Joseph Barrias, this painting in the alcove, “The Glorification of Harmony” (I think), you again see the lyre in the central figure. Garnier Plaque Palais Garnier, Paris In the center of the room is a bust of Garnier with this inscription on the base.

Facade Loggia Palais Garnier, Paris As you leave the Grand Salon, you go outside to the Facade Loggia as seen above. What a fabulous space to get some fresh air and mingle at intermission. Look at the incredible range of marble used on this veranda and the proportions. You have the feeling of being outdoors, yet enveloped by an intimate luxury. The high ceilings, the width of the loggia, ceiling capped with mosaic, the different marbles, the lamps and sculptures all contribute to this feeling. There were a lot of people on the loggia when we visited, but it wasn't hard to find a quiet place to express our amazement of the building. Everything seemed to just flow, and you had the comfortable feeling you could get used to this. Facade Loggia Ceiling Palais Garnier, Paris As we mentioned before, more Venetian mosaic ceilings on the loggia. Grand Salon Door Palais Garnier, Paris As you re-enter the building, you pass through this massive door to the Auditorium topped with a lyre. Grand Vestibule Palais Garnier, Paris As we left we went through the Grand Vestibule, backwards from the way the opera was meant to function.

Between the columns on the walls of The Grand Vestibule (the entrance in use today) are full-length, seated sculptures in marble of Gluck, Handel, Rameau and Lulli. In the old ticket office is a gift shop. L'Opera Restaurant Palais Garnier, Paris As you leave you walk past a very pretty restaurant, in which Lisa and I had drinks, outside in the Martini Bar. After three attempts since 1875, a restaurant opened its doors on the eastern facade of the building in 2011. It was designed by French architect Odile Decq. The chef is Christophe Aribert. As Stephen Gjertson so beautifully summarizes the Palais Garnier: “Garnier believed that architectural technology was the scientific means to an artistic end. The artistic end was the impression the architectural ensemble made on the hearts and minds of the cultured audience for whom it was created. In the interest of art he methodically concealed the technology behind a magnificent veil of fine limestone, multi-colored marble, gilded stucco and bronze, colorful mosaics, rich tapestries and sumptuous paintings.

His conception of art and architecture as collaborators creating a unified and harmonious whole was triumphantly achieved in the Opéra. It took fourteen years of Garnier’s life to complete. Paul Baudry spent ten years preparing for and executing his decorations in the Grand Foyer. The result was one of the most beautiful buildings created in the 19th century, a lasting tribute to the incomparably rich and varied Beaux-Arts tradition and a theater worthy of the city to which it belonged.” A great reference for the Opera is: The Paris Opéra: Charles Garnier’s Opulent Architectural Masterpiece by Stephen Gjertson. Palais Garnier - Opera House in Paris - Thousand Wonders Wikipedia | Google | Google Images | Flickr Palais Garnier, also known as Opéra Garnier, is an opera house in Paris , France . In addition to being an important Parisian landmark, Palais Garnier is also famous for being the setting of the popular novel, The Phantom of the Opera, which was later adapted into a successful musical and films. Today the opulent opera house, known for its luxurious interiors, is home to the Paris Opera, and is used for opera, ballet, and concert performances.

History In 1860, Emperor Napoleon III held a competition to design the new opera house in Paris, which led to the selection of architect, Charles Garnier to lead the project. The extravagant opera house was constructed between 1861 and 1875, and was likely the most expensive building that was erected during the Second French Empire. It has been the home of the Paris Opera ever since, which has also offered performances at Opéra Bastille in recent decades. In 1910, the site was immortalized by French writer, Gaston Leroux, in his novel The Phantom of the Opera, which has since been adapted various times, most notably as a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1986. While it was already a popular tourist attraction due to its famous architecture, its connection to the famous novel has made the opera house even more fascinating to visitors intrigued by its thrilling story, which is partially inspired by actual events that took place there in the 19th century.

Things to See If you can’t afford to take in a live performance from the comfort of one of Palais Garnier’s over 2,000 seats, you can still experience the beauty of the building by touring it during the day. There’s plenty to see, from spectacular architectural and artistic features to fascinating exhibitions. The Façade The first thing you’ll see when you reach Palais Garnier is its remarkable façade, which is known for its impressive sculpture groups created by various renowned artists. One of the most famous is Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux’s La Danse, or “The Dance” in English, which depicts nude, drunken figures. When it was first unveiled, it was widely criticized as being indecent. Other sculpture groups depict harmony, instrumental music, and lyrical drama. The façade also features bronze busts of great composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, and Auber. The Grand Staircase One of the building’s most famous features is its immense ceremonial staircase made of white marble, with a red and green marble balustrade that leads to the Grand Foyer. Above the staircase, you can see the beautiful ceiling frescoes by painter, Isidore Pils .

The Grand Foyer The golden Grand Foyer was designed to be used as a gathering place for important members of Parisian society, and features gorgeous frescoes painted by Paul Baudry and monumental fireplaces at each end. The Auditorium The auditorium inside Palais Garnier is home to the largest stage in Europe . Its ceiling depicts scenes from 14 famous operas by composers such as Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Verdi, and Debussy that were painted in 1964 by artist, Marc Chagall. One of its most famous features is its awe-inspiring 7-ton bronze and crystal chandelier. In 1896, one of its counterweights fell through the ceiling and killed an audience member, which later inspired a famous scene in The Phantom of the Opera. Practical Information Here’s everything you need to know in order to visit Palais Garnier: By bus: You can use the following bus lines to reach Palais Garnier: 20, 21, 22, 27, 29, 42,52, 53, 66, 68, 81, 95.

By metro/train: Paris Métro lines 3, 7, and 8 all stop at the Opéra station, while the stop named Auber on line A of the RER is also near the opera house. Parking: The nearest parking area is Parking Haussmann Galeries Lafayette, located at Boulevard Haussmann, 48. Address: Rue Scribe, 8, 75009 Paris, France Hours: Palais Garnier is generally open daily from 10:00 until 16:30, with extended hours until 17:30 between mid-July and September. While the auditorium is usually open, it is occasionally closed during the day in order to prepare for performances. Prices: Tickets for self-guided tours of Palais Garnier cost approximately €10 ($12) for adults and €6 ($6.90) for students under 26, with free admission for children under 10.

Guided tours in French and English are also offered year-round at set times on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and cost €15 ($17) for adults, €10 ($12) for students under 26, and €8 ($8.63) for children under 10. Tickets can be purchased online in advance or from the ticket desk starting at 10:00 daily. Similar Landmarks Several landmarks around the world feature designs inspired by Palais Garnier, including the National Opera House of Ukraine, the Thomas Jefferson Building in Washington D.C. ; the Theatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro , the Hanoi Opera House; and the Municipal Theatre, Ho Chi Minh City . Do you see any omissions, errors or want to add information to this page? Sign up . Author: ehuttner. Last updated: Apr 07, 2015 Pictures of Palais Garnier paris.opera.description.htm Tel: +33 (1) 44 73 13 99 Architect - Charles Garnier THE GRAND OPERA Built between 1862-1875, its architect was Charles Garnier.

He was only 35 when awarded with the design of the new opera house. A large building, the Opéra National de Paris has a total area of 11,000 square metres (118,404 square feet) and a vast stage with room for up to 450 artists. The auditorium itself comprises roughly half of the total space, most of the rest being used to house necessary logistical support so that the stage demands of any opera can be met. Legend has it that the Empress Eugénie asked Garnier whether the building was to be in Greek or Roman style to which he replied ``It is in the Napoleon III style Madame !'' The building, in the eclecticism and the exuberance of its decoration, is today seen as one of the symbols of the Imperial regime. It remains an ornate building richly decorated with friezes, columns, and winged figures among other statues and embellishments. This richness continues inside with velvet, gold leaf, and nymphs and cherubs. The auditorium's central chandelier weighs over six tons, and its ceiling was painted in 1964 by Chagall.

In 1858, Napoleon III decided to build the Grand Opera, for which Paris had long been awaiting, in the new business quarter designed by Baron Haussmann. The previous halls, since the foundation of the Académie Royale de Music, founded in 1669 by Louis XIV, had been either of temporary construction or had been destroyed by fires. On 29 December 1860, an architectural competition was organized for the new opera house. Of the 171 architects participating, Charles Garnier's design was the unanimous choice, maintaining a clear picture of the internal functions of the building in its external architecture, Garnier created an Opera House and stage in the traditional Italian style, and in a grandiose setting, inspired both by the Grand Theatre in Bordeaux built by Victor Louis in 1870 and by the Italian and French villas of the 17th and 18th centuries. The venue was intended to host the festivities of the Emperor's entourage and of elegant audiences from the moneyed and social élite, for whom a night at the Opera was a pleasant excuse for meeting people and renewing acquaintances.

For this reason, the passages, halls, foyers, staircases, and rotundas occupy a far larger area than the theatre itself. CHARLES GARNIER'S PROJECT Construction started in 1861 and lasted for 14 years. The massive works were slowed down by the discovery of a water table that had to be drained before building an enormous concrete well designed to carry the gigantic stage and fly tower. The well was filled with water in order to counter the water pressure (hence the legend of the underground lake popularized by Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera). The 1870 Franco-Prussian war and the Commune interrupted the construction works, but the fire at the old opera in Rue Le Peletier in 1873 hastened the completion of the monument. It was officially inaugurated during the Third Republic by Field Marshall de Mac-Mahon on 5 January 1875. The building, which is a perfect example of 19th century stage architecture, hides its iron frame under flamboyant decoration. The overall impression is harmonious in spite of the diversity of its inspiration and the temes taken up by Charles Garnier.

He personally supervised the integration in the architecture of decorative works entrusted to sculptors, painters and mosaic artists representative, as himself was, of state-sponsored artists. TRIUMPH OF ECLECTICISM Thanks to the diversity of the materials used in the building of the house, you're immediately struck by a full range of colours, right from the façade which opens into the fairy-tale world of the Opera House, to which the two side pavillions formerly also provided access: for the regular subscribers on one side and for the Emperor on the other. They are today occupied by the Library and the Opera Museum. At the right of the entrance halls, there is the famous group of dancers by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux - the original is in the Musée d'Orsay. The great staircase continues down towards Pythia's water basin and the former subscribers' rotunda. The stairs are decorated in marble and onyx, a true theatre of worldly events, while the lobby is decorated with Venetian mosaics.

Two small rooms, one dedicated to the Moon, the other to the Sun, lead to the main foyer, a princely gallery of gilded luxury in which the mythological characters and the allegories of Paul Baudry stand out. The rotunda is adorned by eight tapestries made by the Gobelins, under a ceiling by Georges Clairin. In the auditorium itself, the great chandelier illuminates the ceiling by Marc Chagall, which has, since 1964, covered the original work of Jules-Eugène Lenepveu. Echoing the colorful style dear to Charles Garnier's, Chagall has designed his painting as a living image of the festive spririt surrounding each performance: luminous, fluid figures surge forth, contrasting with the gold and red tones of the theatre. "Although described by a contemporary critic as 'looking like an overloaded sideboard', it (the Paris Opera House) is now regarded as one of the masterpieces of the period. Here Garnier triumphed over a cramped and difficult site, handling the carriage-ramps and approach steps, the foyers and staircases, both in section and plan, with confidence and skill.

The style is monumental, classically based and opulently expressed, as the times demanded, in an elaborate language of multicoloured marbles and lavish statuary. Throughout his life, Garnier was criticized for his excessive use of ornament, as Napoleon and Haussman are still accused of being inspired by an out-of-date and imperialist showmanship expressed in a language already debased. Such critics forget that every city needs its occasional monuments and occasions of grandeur, and that thanks largely to these three men, Paris remains one of the most beautiful cities in the world." - John Julius Norwich, ed. Great Architecture of the World. p214.

1000+ images about Marc CHAGALL on Pinterest | The magic flute, Ballet and Paris Marc Chagall : Roméo et Juliette, détail du plafond de l'Opéra Garnier, 1964 See More Ceiling of Paris Opera House, 1964 - Marc Chagall - WikiArt.org Ceiling of Paris Opera House it is a historically significant artwork the image is only being used for informational and educational purposes the image is readily available on the internet the image is a low resolution copy of the original artwork and is unsuitable for commercial use More … WikiArt.org allows unlimited copying, distributing and displaying of the images of public domain artworks solely. We use here Copyright term based on authors' deaths according to U.S. Copyright Law, that is 70 years. In other countries, the duration of copyright term may differ. Please check here copyright length according to your country's legislation before you consider reproducing images borrowed from Wikipaintings.org Artworks protected by copyright are supposed to be used only for contemplation. Images of that type of artworks are prohibited for copying, printing, or any kind of reproducing and communicating to public since these activities may be considered copyright infringement. Marc Chagall

Question: Which artist painted the ceiling of the Palais Garnier Opera House in Paris in 1964?
Answer: MARC CHAGALL